September 2025 Recap
Fall is here and we are excited to have all of the kids back in school! We welcomed a record breaking number of students to our campus and greatly enjoyed meeting parents and families. Our new landing bag is being utilized to the fullest extent and our snow students are progressing exponentially with daily bag sessions.
The bar has continued to rise every year for the level of expectations and we are all excited to see what will come next. This year our student body has come from all over the United States from Alaska to Florida as well as eight different countries. We are also on track to have our largest graduating class ever with students from 12 to 19 years old making the most of their time here in Oregon.
While students on campus have been studying for the SAT and PSAT, other groups are already traveling for competitions. We have one group of ski and snowboard athletes in the Netherland, another group of mountain bikers in Canada at Kamloops, and a group of skateboarders in northern California. Our staff has expanded to include an athletic trainer on site who is working in conjunction with the USOC Team Doctor Bill Moreau and his team at NeuroSport Spine & Concussion out of Vancouver, WA. Going into this Olympic year, we will cheer on all of our students and alumni as they continue to chase their dreams!
-Mike Hanley, Head of School
Student life
The first month of the semester has been a whirlwind of activity, energy, and community building! During Week of Welcome, our students jumped right into campus life with a variety of fun and engaging events designed to help them connect with one another. From classic ice breakers and fast-paced dodgeball games to our beloved annual scavenger hunt, the campus was buzzing with excitement.
Beyond the fun, we focused on setting a strong foundation for the semester ahead. Students worked together to create roommate contracts, participated in laundry room demonstrations, attended medical orientations, and were paired with mentors—all part of our commitment to fostering responsibility, accountability, and support.
And we’re just getting started! In just the first two weekends, students have already rafted the Deschutes River near Maupin, Oregon, taken the leap with bungee jumping in Amboy, Washington, and cheered on the Portland Thorns at a home game. With summer’s warmth still lingering, our community is making the most of every sunny moment.
Our newly upgraded game room has quickly become a favorite hangout spot this semester! It’s been home to board game nights, Mario Kart tournaments, art nights, and more. We’re excited to continue using this vibrant shared space as a place for students to unwind, connect, and recharge together.
Academics
Students and their families showed up last month and it was great to see the campus full once again. It has been great getting to know the new students and catch up with the returning students. We sensed a lot of excitement from all of the students as they moved back in for the semester.
Academically, we have hit the ground running. The majority of students are using Edgenuity, a platform we encourage them to use. One of the benefits of this platform over others, is that it allows the students to work ahead in their classes. This is beneficial because each athletic group does a lot of travel throughout the year. Being able to get ahead gives the students an opportunity to prepare for their trips so that they do not return to campus behind in their classes. We use a pacing goal for each sport that shows the students where they should be, relative to their classwork, after each day of the semester. Because of this, they know exactly what percentage they need to get to if they want to be caught up when they return. It has been really nice to see how many kids take advantage of that and set it up so that they don't need to be worrying about their classes while they are away from campus training or competing.
Going into the new school year with returning teachers has certainly helped in many ways. We have also collaborated extensively to make sure that we are ready for our implementation of Lanschool. Lanschool is a tool that we can now use to monitor computers while the students are in class. This has cut down on a lot of opportunities to take shortcuts in assignments for the students and it is in place to make sure that students are doing their work the right way.
We look forward to a successful fall semester and, so far, we are off to a great start in the classrooms.
Athletics
It’s been a great start to the year! Everyone is happy to be back after a wonderful Summer Season. There are so many new faces and it is always great to have the return faces back on campus. To start the fall term, we had three goals:
Goal 1: Learn every other kid's and staff's name, especially all of the new students.
Goal 2: Learn the rules, protocols, and athletic concepts for being on campus such as showing up on time and prepared for the day, trampoline etiquette and safety, and gym etiquette.
Goal 3: Begin IQP & performance work books. Review trip and contest calendar and set S.M.A.R.T. Goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timely)
Freeski
FOCUS OF THE YEAR
To be prepared to podium at any event in the world.
All 8 270 on and off rails
All 4 900s through all 4 Triple 1800s
200% - 1000% growth on social media platforms.
FOCUS OF THE WEEK
Week 1: Introduction to the landing bag for the team along with creating bonds across the academy.
Week 2: Big progression focus, up skill new kids and start pushing the returning students, especially ones that were out this summer and already had time on the new landing bag. Kids practicing what the Netherlands course will be like on the square bag.
Week 3: Part of the team heading to the Netherlands for podium spots. Everyone back on campus pushing to get into the rhythm of morning warm ups, athletics, school and down times. Keep pushing landing bag experience to more novice riders with getting comfortable hitting it.
Mountain Bike
FOCUS OF THE YEAR
Find a love of Mountain Biking and be inspired by the culture of the sport.
Give experiences with internships, summer jobs, and create personal relationships within the industry.
Develop signature maneuvers that can be executed on demand, students can comfortably ride the steepest terrain over exposure.
FOCUS OF THE WEEK
Week 1: Set the bar for the school year and get to know the rest of the academy teams.
Week 2: Prep for trip to Kamloops with school, backyard/airbag training, and physical training.
Week 3: Head to Kamloops for an epic training venue. Meet up with some professionals in the industry.
Skate
FOCUS OF THE YEAR
Industry connections for kids to see behind the scenes.
Alumni starting and running their own brands.
Podium at local and non local amateur events.
Students featured on major skate publication websites or photos in skate magazines.
FOCUS OF THE WEEK
Week 1: Bring new students in and get to know the rest of the academy community.
Week 2: Go through performance packets and set goals for the school year.
Week 3: Trip to SFO to meet industry leading professionals and skate.
Snowboard
FOCUS OF THE YEAR
To have the best well rounded competition program in all things snowboarding.
All four 540’s through all four triple 1620’s
Verified social media accounts.
Earning travel budget from sponsors.
FOCUS OF THE WEEK
Week 1: Set expectations & integrate new athletes with returning athletes.
Week 2: Build team dynamic & trust for a positive training atmosphere.
Week 3: Push physical boundaries, learn fundamental concepts, repetition for muscle memory.
Alumni Spotlight
Arianna and Alessia Vergani, 2022 Wy’East Graduates, have joined the Italian National Snowboard Freestyle Team, fulfilling their dream! They are currently in Austria training with the national team. A heartfelt thank you to all of you, and in particular to their coaches Brandon and Stew, for helping them make their dream come true. In the meantime, they are also pursuing their studies online at the Open University in London - Alessia in Psychology and Arianna in Business & Marketing.
